Decision on J&K statehood ‘very soon’: Union law minister Meghwal in Srinagar

Restoration process sensitive but ongoing, says minister at Srinagar workshop; CM Omar Abdullah expresses hope for an end to the year-and-a-half wait.

Union minister for law and justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said in Srinagar on Tuesday that a decision regarding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir will be heard “very soon”.

Arjun Ram Meghwal said home minister Amit Shah already provided assurances in the Lok Sabha that the rightful process would be followed and that the people of Jammu and Kashmir would receive “what is due to them”. (File Photo/Sansad TV)

Speaking to reporters at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar, Meghwal described the issue as “very sensitive” but reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to the process.

He said that home minister Amit Shah had already provided assurances in the Lok Sabha that the rightful process would be followed and that the people would receive “what is due to them”.

Meghwal was in Srinagar to lead a regional workshop on the Tele-Law (DISHA) scheme, focusing on technology-enabled legal services. However, his comments on the region’s political status drew immediate attention.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah, who also attended the event, expressed cautious optimism in response to the minister’s remarks. Abdullah said while his government remains in continuous dialogue with the Centre, the process has taken longer than expected.

He remarked that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been waiting for the “good news” for a year and a half and expressed hope that the Union minister’s hint of an early decision would finally materialise.